Arsenal star shuts down Real Madrid claims after snubbing summer transfer move

Martin Zubimendi doesn’t believe he would’ve changed the look of Real Madrid’s team following their summer interest in him after the midfielder chose to join Arsenal

Martin Zubimendi insists he would not have been the “missing piece of the jigsaw” at Real Madrid – nor does he believe he is that for Arsenal as he talked up the quality of his team-mates.

The Spaniard, who had long been on Mikel Arteta’s radar, left Real Sociedad in the summer and opted to head for the Premier League. There was domestic interest from Los Blancos, where his hero Xabi Alonso had just taken over as manager.

Zubimendi though chose to move to Arsenal, who paid £60million to land his services. The midfielder had put himself on the map with some stellar showings at Euro 2024 before deciding to remain in San Sebastian for another year, despite the interest of Liverpool.

The 26-year-old is now part of an Arsenal midfield that includes Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard. Had he headed for Madrid then he would’ve been playing alongside the likes of Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni and Zubimendi fails to see how he would be the final piece in either team.

He told AS: “I don’t know, I don’t know. We’re talking about very big clubs. To say that Madrid was missing a piece like me is a lot to say because all the players they have are spectacular. And at Arsenal, it’s more of the same.”

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Zubimendi has cited Arteta and his approach as a hugely determining factor in his move. The Gunners boss was determined to land his compatriot and his management style was a massive appeal to the Sociedad academy graduate.

He said: “I don’t know, it’s just a feeling. Once I decided to leave Real, Arsenal was a team that, from what I had seen, suited me well, especially in terms of their style of play. I also wanted a very detail-oriented coach, and in (Mikel) Arteta, as soon as I spoke to him, I found that.

“There was a very young team (at Arsenal), with a lot of passion, very close-knit, eager to win, and even though they haven’t been able to do so, that makes them even more eager.”

Zubimendi was part of a major recruitment drive that also saw the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze all move to north London. Despite some early criticism Arsenal now find themselves top of the Premier League – Zubimendi himself chipping in with two goals.

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